This invention relates in general to a fireproof panel, either flat or shaped, and a method for closing structural openings through which service hardware, such as pipe, electrical conduit, ducts, and the like, penetrates between rooms, floors, ceilings and the like in buildings, and in particular to fireproof panels comprising refractory material having embedded therein reinforcement material to enhance physical strength and fracture resistance.
In most building structures, there are structural openings in walls, floors, ceilings, or other building structure components through which items such as plumbing pipes, electrical conduit, cable trays, heating and air conditioning ducts, and the like penetrate and extend from room to room or floor to floor. As is apparent, these openings are a safety hazard if a fire breaks out in one section of the building since the fire itself or its harmful by-products can easily spread throughout the entire structure by passing through the above-described openings. Further, such travel can occur irrespective of the fireproof qualities of the building structure components themselves. As a result, most fire codes now require that these openings be closed, and that they be closed with material whose resistance to fire, heat and gases (e.g. smoke) is at least equal to the resistance of the wall, floor, ceiling, or other structural components themselves.
Some current approaches employed for closing the above-described openings include sheet metal closures and silicone foam closures. The former requires somewhat complicated metal working procedures wherein a metal sheet is bolted to the structure surrounding an opening and penetrating items reside therethrough with a final tolerance therearound of zero. The latter approach, silicone foam closures, requires that a temporary dam be constructed on each side of the opening after the penetrating items are in place and then introducing the foam into the opening. After foam curing, the dam is removed.
In addition to requirements for closing structural openings as described, fireproof support structures are many times needed in high temperature applications to support pipes, cable trays, ducts, and the like. The invention subject matter here described can also be employed in providing such support functions.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a fireproof panel constructed of refractory material for closing structural openings through which items penetrate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a fireproof panel constructed of refractory material which is reinforced to thereby enhance physical strength and fracture resistance. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a reinforced fireproof panel for closing structural openings which can be readily worked with traditional building tools to attain desired fit and placement. A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for closing openings through which items penetrate within a building structure by employing fireproof panels constructed of reinforced refractory material. Still another object of the present invention is to provide shaped fireproof panels for use as support structures for similarly-shaped components such as pipes, ducts and the like. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent throughout the description which now follows.